Chapter 84

But they hadn't expected that,

despite the disparity in troop numbers by several times,

Xu Rong could still rely on the few troops he had to hold the defensive line firmly!

Furthermore,

under the fierce fighting of Zhao Yun, Zhang He, Ma Chao, and other fierce generals, the Liangzhou warlords had suffered significant losses.

Listening to everyone’s complaints, Han Sui hurriedly spoke to soothe them:

"Gentlemen, this Xu Rong is merely a trapped beast fighting for its life."

"His supply lines have been cut; even if his soldiers are brave, they can hold on for at most a few more days."

"After a few days, when the grain runs out,"

"even a god descending to earth could not save him from this desperate situation!"

Compared to this group of impatient Liangzhou warlords,

Han Sui, this old fox, undoubtedly saw things more clearly.

Xu Rong and Niu Fu were clearly not in the same league.

But no matter how strong Xu Rong’s ability was,

in the end, even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.

People are iron, rice is steel; if you don't eat a meal, you get hungry.

If it were a head-on confrontation on the battlefield,

Han Sui would not have the confidence to defeat Xu Rong.

But a Xu Rong in a state of starvation, haha, was like a beast without claws.

"Leader, tell us."

"How many more days until we can finish off this Xu Rong?"

"Winter is almost here, and I haven't even had time to harvest the grain in my territory!"

An unknown, useless small warlord below Han Sui asked him.

Hearing this,

Han Sui couldn't help but have black lines appear on his forehead.

War is not something you can guess just by saying so.

Han Sui could only give a rough estimate.

However,

before Han Sui could speak further,

a rapid sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the camp.

A scout rushed into the tent and reported to Cheng Yin:

"My lord!"

"Nan'an City has been hit by a surprise attack!"

"The enemy is quite numerous."

"I beg my lord to return to reinforce it quickly!"

As the voice fell,

Cheng Yin was so frightened he jumped up.

Then, he grabbed the scout by the collar and questioned him in disbelief:

"Why would there be an enemy raiding my Nan'an City?"

The scout was only responsible for delivering messages; how would he know about military matters?

Facing his lord’s questioning, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"Brother Cheng, please calm down."

"Let us wait until we figure out the ins and outs of the matter before making plans."

Han Sui spoke to soothe him.

Although he didn't understand why an army had suddenly appeared at Cheng Yin’s lair, Nan'an City,

he knew that he must stabilize Cheng Yin right now and not let him retreat from the front lines so easily.

However,

when it rains, it pours.

How could the roof leak in only one spot?

Before Cheng Yin could fully recover his senses,

several more scouts appeared outside the tent.

These scouts were also reporting to their respective lords that their rear cities had been raided.

Afterward, more and more scouts came from outside.

In the tent, more than sixty percent of the Liangzhou warlords had received news that their own lairs had been raided.

As for the remaining forty percent, it was likely because the distance was remote, or the scouts had died on the way, so there was no news yet.

But even so, the feeling of trembling had already spread through their entire bodies.

Gu Yi’s five-route division was not just five routes of troops.

For example, after reaching a certain Liangzhou warlord’s territory, he could further divide the troops on the original basis to raid more cities.

In this way, he ensured that most of the Liangzhou warlords would receive news that their rear lairs had been raided.

At this moment, the Liangzhou warlords were struck as if by lightning, their souls shaken!

The next instant,

it was unknown who reacted first.

He stood up quickly and requested leave from Han Sui:

"Leader, please forgive me for taking my leave first."

"My rear city has been hit by a surprise attack, and there are not many garrison troops inside; I cannot leave it unattended."

Like a chain reaction,

before this small warlord’s voice had even faded,

most of the small warlords in the tent stood up one after another,

repeating the same words as the first warlord.

Han Sui’s face was as gloomy as water.

If only one warlord’s rear lair had been raided, it could be called an accident.

But for so many people to be attacked at the same time, it was clearly a conspiracy!

However...

Even knowing it was a conspiracy, Han Sui had no way to break it.

He could only try his best to persuade them to stay:

"Gentlemen, that fellow Xu Rong cannot hold on for much longer."

"As long as you persist in besieging him for another two or three days, I believe he will be at the end of his rope."

"But if you retreat now, you will have nothing left!"

Han Sui had previously promised these Liangzhou warlords that after eliminating Xu Rong, all captured cities would be re-divided.

At this moment, he attempted to use this painted pie to lure these Liangzhou warlords to continue fighting for him.

However...

Although the Liangzhou warlords were not broad-minded and lacked great ambitions,

they were not fools!

Their lairs were their core bases,

and also the places where their prestige was deepest.

If even their lairs were lost, what use would it be even if they gained a few new cities?

Therefore,

facing Han Sui’s plea to stay,

the generals chose to refuse almost without the slightest hesitation.

Everyone chose to refuse, all in unspoken agreement.

And they demanded to return to their territories immediately!

Cunning as Han Sui was, at this moment, he was almost ready to explode with anger!

He did not understand

who exactly

had come up with such a vicious strategy!

Suddenly, Han Sui thought of Gu Yi, this grandson-in-law of Dong Zhuo who had recently risen to fame!

"Alas, Heaven does not bless me!"

"If this person were my son-in-law, how wonderful that would be!"